To enhance the property value and add additional usable recreational space at a minimum cost, many homeowners have turned to the addition of a deck to their residence. Likewise, screened porches and sun rooms are also popular additions to residences to protect the users from insects, ambient weather conditions, etc, and to promote quiet enjoyment of the enclosure. Many enclosures of these types are retrofitted to existing structures and are either pre-fabricated or contracted out on an individualized construction basis, i.e. "stick built". While pre-fabricated enclosures are readily available, they are neither aesthetically nor structurally compatible with existing decking structures. Conversely, "stick built" structures can be designed and configured to be compatible with decking structures. However, they entail a contractor going to the site and constructing the deck covering, screen porch or sun room, generally in a non-standardized manner based on the particular configurations and dimensions unique to that site. Consequently, tolerances in crafting will differ not only from site to site but also from worker to worker. Ofeen many days if not weeks of labor are required to complete assembly of a "stick built" enclosure and the nature of the site as well as the character of the construction crew will be reflected in the finished structure. Hence, the structural integrity and strength of such enclosures are subject to wide variation and defy elegant, standardized, and uniform construction.
One further consideration, critical in the final evaluation of decking enclosures, is aesthetics. It is crucial that any enclosure must not only be functionally sound but also must satisfy the tastes of its owner. If the structure is unsatisfactory as an architectural compliment to the attached edifice, the landscaping or the owner's tastes, the enclosure may very well detract from rather than enhance the enjoyment of the property.